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Montpelier, Vt. – On Monday, April 17, Governor Phil Scott will help launch the first ever statewide substance use disorder workforce summit at Vermont Technical College.

Following through on one of his campaign proposals, Gov. Scott, the State of Vermont and Vermont State Colleges are partnering to host more than 150 leaders including health care, higher education, state government, and nonprofit professionals as well as elected officials to evaluate substance use disorders in Vermont and the workforce challenges of providing treatment. The three panels will address barriers, challenges, and opportunities to meet the workforce needs of the substance use disorder provider community. Recommendations – both immediate and long-term – will arise from the summit dialogue for the organizing groups to act on in the coming months.

“Making sure Vermont’s emerging workforce aligns with the jobs for which there is demand is critical for both the economy and making progress on the opioid crisis,” said Gov. Scott. “We must focus on treatment and recovery, along with prevention and enforcement, to combat our opiate crisis and eradicate opioid addiction from our communities. Over the past year, I heard from the provider community about the challenge of finding professionals in this sector. I want to thank the Vermont State Colleges for partnering with us on this summit to evaluate how we can recruit, educate and retain more substance use disorder treatment professionals.”

Who: Office of Governor Phil Scott, State of Vermont, Vermont State Colleges

Note: Tickets to the summit have all been claimed and there will not be registration at the door except for members of the media only

More about the Summit: The Summit will focus on the workforce needs of the provider community -- how best to create affordable education pathways, identify and address barriers to licensure and employment, and develop incentives for a sustainable workforce. This is one of many challenges Vermont faces to improve its response to prevention, treatment and recovery. As a key lever point for systemic improvement, addressing this workforce challenge by convening key stakeholders in one place, at one time, will result in a blueprint for action steps which we can work on together over the next 6 months.